Town Hall and Corn Exchange, Market Square, Blandford Forum, Dorset

Town Hall and Corn Exchange, Market Square, Blandford Forum, Dorset DT11 7AF

The Town Hall, dated 1734, is located in a unique conservation area, described as "the most complete and cohesive surviving example of a Georgian country town in England" in the 1970 Donald W. Insall report commissioned by the County Council to assess the area. The Town Hall carries a Grade1 statutory listing and as such is classed as being of national importance and special architectural and historic interest. The Town Hall façade is a uniquely important and pivotal feature in the centre of the Market Place in Blandford. Its size, design and use of Portland stone facade set it apart from its mostly red-brick Georgian neighbours and afford it a unique position in the 18th century townscape. The “building” is, in fact, a collection of buildings, which have been linked together and altered over time to form a complex commonly referred to in its entirety as the “Corn Exchange”. This complex comprises the Shambles, the Town Hall, and the Council Chamber, all housed in the original Town Hall building. They are linked by a single storey extension to the Corn Exchange, which has an opening cut through its northern wall to form a proscenium arch into another single storey building which forms the stage and is joined to the modern Council Offices built in 1990-1991.

Opening Arrangements

The Town Hall is viewable when not being hired during office hours 9.30am till 12.30pm